It did help that one of the most talked-about hardcore acts in the area was billed as the main attraction, however. Killwhitneydead (www.myspace.com/ killwhitneydead) headed up the heaviest card of the holidays for their You Can't Even really Call This A Tour.

There are very few instances that come to mind where it is socially acceptable to publicly ask the question "Why does it hurt when I pee?" While "Loveline" with Adam Carrola and Dr. Drew Pinsky is still alive in radio syndication, it's not nearly the same widely recognized forum for topics to make you squirm in your seat as it was in its MTV heyday.

I was always told as a kid to never stare directly into the sun, which is pretty solid advice for anyone. But while standing only a few feet away from David Byrne (www.davidbyne.com) during his Dec. 8 performance at Raleigh's Meymandi Concert Hall, I couldn't help but feel as if I was doing just that.

Now, many of the band's casual fans may be a little hesitant in recognizing the current incarnation of the group as the genuine article. Those are completely reasonable feelings, however, as two of its most notable members are absent for the band's current tour.

Fortunately, the place has a highly forgiving (though responsibly administered) BYOB policy that leaves plenty of latitude in terms of acceptability. If beer is okay, then bring on the malt liquor. Got my 40 of Old E (in a brown bag, of course)? I got your fifth of Old Crow.

Trent Reznor has never been shy about expressing his political opinions. It may come across in a completely forthright manner, such as calling George W. Bushs reelection one step closer to the end of the world. It might also appear more nuanced, as is the case with his song about the Bush administration The Hand That Feeds.

There was an anxious crowd on the steps of Memorial Student Union at North Carolina AT University Saturday, with one of the biggest names in music in attendance. Rapper Jay-Z was inside and ready to deliver a key political message, just days before one of the most significant elections in our nations history.

I had originally planned to use this space to talk about the Leo Kottke concert at the Carolina Theatre last Friday night, but then I realized that Im only human. He, on the other hand, is not and I could never truly do justice to the splendor and serenity of his performance in words.

One of the Lone Star States favorite sons made a stop in Greensboro recently and thankfully, Im not talking about Ron Tater Salad White. More fortuitously, acclaimed singer/songwriter Robert Earl Keen gave one of his typical performances to an enthusiastic crowd at the Carolina Theatre last Thursday.

When Greensboro comedy labratory the Idiot Box moved across the street to the former location of OKennedys clothing store, it was a given that their cheeky brand of humor would come along with it. That something new would be added to the venues repertoire may not have been so apparent.